Bowling pin setter apparatus



Nov. 25; 1969 c, [NGEBQ 3,480,279

BOWLING PIN SETTER APPARATUS Filed Feb. 26. 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR. ALVHN G. ENGEBO Nov. 25, 1969 Filed Feb. 26, 1968 A. c. INGEBO3,480,279

BOWLING PIN SETTIER APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

ALWN C. @NG'EBO Nov. 25, 1969 A. C.INGEBO 3,480,279

BOWLING PIN SETTER APPARATUS Filed Feb. 26, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 z I Z5INVENTOR.

ALVIN G INGEBO Nov. 25, 1969 A. c. INGEBO 3,480,279

BOWLING PIN SETTER APPARATUS Filed Feb. 26, 1968 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 r Len INVENTOR. INGEBO United States Patent 3,480,279 BOWLING PIN SETTERAPPARATUS Alvin C. Ingebo, 15500 SW. Royalty Parkway, Tigard, Oreg.97223 Filed Feb. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 708,018 Int. Cl. A63d /08 US. Cl.273-44 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The apparatus disclosed isfor the setting of bowling pins and includes a pin carriage for thesetting of pins after the downed pin or pins have been upwardly movedinto the carriage by separate counterweights. A tiltable ball returnguide is also provided and activated upon ball contact. Powered wheelmembers are separately coupled to the carriage and ball return guide tooperate the same and which wheel members further include switchactuating pins for operating push button type switches to start and stopmotors powering the wheels. An electrical scoring circuit is alsoincluded in the disclosure.

Background of the invention The present invention relates to bowlingmachines in which the resetting of pins is accomplished automaticallyalong with the provision of means for return to the participant of thebowling ball.

While present apparatuses known to me accomplish the automatic pinsetting and ball return they are of a very complex nature, henceexpensive both to manufacture and to maintain making them practical inonly large commercial bowling establishments. In contrast, the presentinvention as presently constructed is embodied in a structure whereinthe electrical components are of a standard,

easily obtainable nature permitting low cost manufacture andmaintenance. The highly practical nature of the apparatus makes its usein private homes or small clubs entirely feasible.

Summary Drawing description In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the apparatus with parts of themain frame being sectioned out both to permit a suitable drawing scaleto be used and for purposes of parts disclosure,

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view taken along the irregular sectionline 2-2 in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of FIGURE 2 showingdetails of both the ball return wheel and part of the strike resettingmechanism and associated switches,

FIGURE 4 is a sectional plan view taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE 3showing fragments of the strike resetting mechanism,

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary plan view taken along line 55 of FIGURE 1showing a typical scoring switch installation of actuation by a raisedbowling pin,

3,480,279 Patented Nov. 25, 1969 ice Description of preferred embodimentWith continuing reference to the drawings and particularly FIGURES 1 and2 thereof, the reference numeral 1 indicates generally a main framelocated at one end of a bowling alley indicated at 2. The main frame 1includes two upright supports 3 located at the rear of the framepartially supporting an upper framework 4 within which are secured aplurality of internal crossmembers 5. The forward part of the upperframework 4 extends laterally as viewed in FIGURE 1 to permit uprightcorner placed supports indicated at 6 to be in ground supportedengagement outward of the gutters indicated at 2A in the alley.Depending from the upper framework 4 are a pair of members 7 which aretied by a horizontal cross member 8, all at the forward part of the mainframe. One of the depending members 7 in cooperation with an uprightsupport 3 at the rear of the main frame support a base indicated at 9extending from front to rear of the frame and which serves to support agear reduction unit and additional wheel components all later described.

Mounted upon the upper framework 4 is a first electric motor 12hereinafter referred to as the ball return motor and a second electricmotor 13 hereinafter referred to as the carriage lift motor. The motor13 being in direct engagement with a gear reduction unit 14.

A bowling pin carriage is indicated at 15 and is of triangular shapewith its rearward apices being roller mounted as at 16, the rollersbeing received in a vertical guideways 3A formed in each of the uprights3. Accordingly, the carriage 15 may travel vertically to the lowermostposition shown in broken lines in FIGURE 1 in a pin setting operation.The carriage 15 has a fiat top surface 17 and a similar bottom surface18, being apertured to receive parts of the bowling pin indicated infull and broken lines at 19. Pivotally attached to the top of thebox-like structure or carriage 18 is a pivotally mounted connecting bar20 which is loosely coupled at its upper end to an arm 21 which in turnis swingably mounted at its opposite end to the upper framework 4. Forraising and lowering the free end of arm 21 a wheel 23 is provided, saidwheel hereinafter referred to as the carriage lift wheel and havingmounted on its forward side an arm receiving bearing 24 for travelwithin a slot 21A within the arm. A V-belt 26 transmits power from thegear reduction unit 14 to the wheel for rotation thereof resulting inthe vertical swinging movement of arm 21 to raise and lower the pincarriage 18 by means of connecting bar 20. If desired the carriage 15may be counterweighted to reduce the requirements of the power and drivetrain.

Each of the bowling pins 19 is tethered by means of a rod 27 attached atits lower end to the top of the pin by means of interengaged screw eyes28 and at its upper end is tied to a flexible line 29 which is in turnentrained over a pulley 30 journalled on a crossmember 5'. The line 29has suspended from its other end a counterweight 31 sufiicient to raiseits respective pin 19. Each of the pins 19 has embedded Within its basea metallic button 32 which cooperates with a magnet 33 as shown in FIG-URE 1 to retain the pin in place against the upward pull of the line 29.From this it will be seen that with the carriage in the raised positionimpact of the bowling ball displacing one or more of the pins willpermit lifting of the pins by the counterweights 31 in the broken lineposition as typically shown in FIGURE 1 wherein the pin is lifted intoengagement with the aforementioned openings provided in the carriage 18.Secured to each of the lines 29 is a ring 34 which cooperates with thestrike resetting mechanism to be described.

Located at the left hand side of FIGURE 1 is a ball return meansincluding a tiltable ball return guide mounted by hinge pins 41 at itsforward end to allow raising of its rearward end resulting in dischargeof the ball to the right as viewed in FIGURE 2 into a communicatingreturn way, not shown. The guide 40 extends rearwardly of the main frame1 to receive a spent bowling ballfrom a transversely located ball chute42 having an inclined bottom wall 39 for discharge of the ball into thetiltable ball guide 40. As best shown in FIGURE 10, the rearward end ofthe tiltable ball guide is provided with a ball actuated starting switchat 43 which is a pressure sensitive three-way type activated by aplunger 44 extending into the ball guide 40. This switch is laterdescribed in association with the other electrical components. A toggle45 carries a coil spring member 45A at its end to depress the switch 43.Attached to the rearward end of ball guide 40 is an upwardly inclinedrod 46 which is attached at its opposite end to a ball return arm 47which is swingably mounted at its forward end to a bracket support 48depending from the upper framework 4. For articulated movement of thearm 47 in a vertical plane a wheel arrangement is provided similar tothat previously described and comprises a ball return Wheel 50 carryingan arm receiving bearing 51, the latter being slidable within a slot 47Ain arm 47. Upon powered rotation of the wheel 50 by a V-belt 52 drivenby the gear reduction unit 10 and motor 12 the arm 47 will be raisedthus raising the ball return guide 40 to cause the ball to be returnedtoward the contestants location. As best shown in FIGURE 3, the wheel isjournalled in a bearing 53 mounted to the underside of the base 9.

Also rotatably supported by the base 9, as best shown in FIGURE 9, is aratchet wheel plate 55, the teeth 56 of which are located as to beintermittently engaged by a pair of pins 57 diametrically mounted on theball return wheel 50. Integral with and larger than the ratchet wheelplate is a disk 59 on the circumference of which is mounted another pairof diametrically disposed pins 61 which are intermittently advanced intoposition to actuate a pressure sensitive, three-way switch 67 as shownin FIGURE 9. With continuing regard to FIGURE 9 and also FIGURE 3, atoggle is indicated at 62 which is actuated by a single pin 63 carriedby the ball return Wheel 50. The toggle engaging pin 63 is spacedoutwardly on the wheel 50 to avoid the teeth 56 of the ratchet wheel. Asshown in FIGURE 3, the opposite end of the toggle 62 carries a coilspring 64 which is adapted for actuating a pressure sensitive, three-wayswitch 65, which serves to open a circuit to the ball return motor 12after one rotation of the ball return wheel. The switch indicated at 67may be called a starting switch and is in circuit with the carriage liftmotor 13 and serves to initiate carriage movement upon the passing of apin 61 thereby, the passage being permitted by a flexible downwardlyturned band 68 allowing depression of the pressure sensitive switch 67.Also of the same type and in circuit with switch 67 and carriage liftmotor 13 is another three-way switch, best shown in FIGURE 8 at 69. Thislatter switch may be termed a limit switch and is actuated by a bellcrank 70 having one of its arms extending adjacent the carriage liftwheel 23 for contact by a single pin carried by the wheel at 72. Thepivoted bell crank 70 carries a coil spring 73 for biasing of themovable button of the switch 69 into circuit opening position. Asolenoid 75 in circuit with a source through a push button switch 74 isprovided for actuating the switch 69 through the bell crank 70independently of the pin 72 and is used in special circumstances wherethe contestants may want a new setting of the pins. Means for remotelyactuating switch 43 manually are shown in FIG. 7 and comprise pushbutton switch 103, conductors 104 and 105, and solenoid 49, which urgestoggle 45 in the same manner as plunger 44 does to thereby actuateswitch 43.

With attention to the schematic shown in FIGURE 7, a ball after knockingdown one or more of the bowling pins will eventually come into contactwith the plunger 44 in the ball return guide 40 to actuate switch 43 toclose an electrical circuit from a source, through a conductor 79,through the ball return motor 12, the switch 65, conduit or 81 back tothe other side of the source via conductor 82. This circuit is brokenupon one rotation of the ball return wheel 50 causing pin 63 to comeinto contact with toggle 62 to actuate or open switch 65. In the onerotation of wheel 50 the ball return guide has been tilted upwardly todischarge the ball down the return guideway to the contestant.

As regards the two pins 57 also carried by wheel 50, during the onerotation of the wheel each of the pins 57 has come into contact one timewith one of the teeth 56 on the ratchet wheel plate 55. Accordingly, thesingle engagement of each of the pins 57 with the teeth 56 advances theratchet wheel plate 55 ninety degrees for each revolution of the wheel50. The 180 degree travel of the ratchet wheel plate causes one of thepins 61 to come into switch actuating contact with switch 67 upon everytwo turns of wheel 50 as shown in FIGURE 9.

With attention being directed to FIGURE 7, it will be seen that closureof switch 67 will close a circuit including a conductor 83 from one sideof the source through motor 13, conduits 82 or 84, switch 69, and backto the other side of the source via wire 85. Hence, the carriage liftwheel 23 is put into rotation upon closure of switch 67 at thecompletion of one revolution of which the pin 72 carried by the wheel 23actuates switch 69 to open the circuit. In this one rotation thecarriage will have been lowered to set the pins in place On magnets 33and then retracted to its raised position. In summary then, the pinsetting movement of the carriage 18 will occur after every second ballis thrown by reason of the 90 degree intermittent rotation of theratchet wheel plate 55 to bring one of the pins 61 into contact withswitch 67 which occurs upon every other revolution of the ball returnwheel 50. The electrical system described so far is directed towardproviding a normal pin setting operation in a bowling gameconventionally played where each contestant throws two balls in eachframe of the game played and wherein a strike is not thrown with thefirst ball. The following described circuits and components are providedfor altering this normal operation in the event of a strike being rolledwhen all of the pins are knocked down with the first ball thrown.

With attention to FIGURE 3 and FIGURE 7 jointly, a solenoid is indicatedat 85 having a normally retracted armature 86 located superjacent theswitch 65. The solenoid 85 is in circuit with one side of a source ofcurrent by means of a wire 87 and to the opposite side of the source bywire 88, the latter having a push button switch 89 located therealong.Closing of the circuit by actuation of switch 89 by movement of springfinger 89A will extend the armature 86 to interpose the same betweenspring 64 and the switch 65 to thereby isolate switch 65 from actuationby movement of the toggle 62. Switch 65, which normally opens the ballreturn motor circuit to stop the wheel 50, hence stays closed to permittwo full revolutions. of the wheel 50 to intermittently advance one ofthe pins 61 into contact with switch 67 for the purpose of operating thepin carriage through one cycle even though only one ball has beenthrown. This is, of course, for the purpose of resetting all the pinsafter a strike ball has been rolled.

The structure for closing switch 89 in the event of a strike ball beingrolled will now be described. This strike resetting mechanism is shownfragmentarily in FIGURES l, 2 and 3, and comprises four front to rearspaced, parallel slide bars indicated at 91, each supported at one endfor limited sliding movement in brackets 92, as typically shown inFIGURE 3. The right hand end of each of the bars 91 as viewed in FIGURES1 and 3 is biased by a spring member 93 to the left. The opposite end ofthe bars 91 terminate in abutment against a common side member 94. Asshown typically in FIGURE 4, retaining each of the side bars 91 againstlongitudinal movement are locking strips 95, each of said strips beingswingably mounted upon a rod 96 of which there is one provided for eachof the slide bars 91. Locking strips 95 normally rest within detents 97formed in each of the bars 91. Passing upwardly through an aperture 95Ain the locking strips 95 is one of the tethering lines 29. From this itwill be seen that when a strike ball is thrown and all of the pins arelifted into the raised carriage 18, the rings 34 on each of thetethering lines 29 will come into upward contact with its locking strip95 to simultaneously release each slide bar 91 permitting itsspring-biased movement to the left as typically shown in broken lines inFIGURE 3. The side member 94 common to the left end of the slide bars 91is then brought into actuating contact with a finger 89A of switch 89 toclose the circuit to solenoid 85.

To simultaneously reset each of the slide bars 91 to the right as viewedin FIGURES 1 and 3, a bell crank 99 pivotally mounted to the main frameat 100 includes an outwardly extending arm for upward movement bycontact with the rising rearward end of lift arm 47. This bell crankwill be raised to the full line position of FIGURE 3 to reset the slidebars 91 and at the same time open switch 89 to its normal position. Themomentary extension of the armature 86 has prevented actuation of switch65 by the first passing of pin 63. Upon the second passage of pin 63 thetoggle 62 will again be contacted to this time depress switch 65, thearmature 86 having been retracted out of the way. Thus, for twoconsecutive revolutions of the wheel 50 are allowed to accomplishcarriage movement resetting the pins even though only one ball has beenthrown.

The schematic wiring diagram showing in FIGURE 6 includes switches 101as typically shown in FIGURE 5, each being mounted adjacent a pinopening in the carriage 18 for actuation by a raised pin to closeindividual circuits with a corresponding light 102 mounted on a scoreboard. The switches 101 each include a movable external portion disposedwithin the pin openings in the carriage 15 whereby upward seating of thepin will actuate the switch. In setting of the pins the magnets 33 alongwith the movable switch portion will insure separation of the pins fromthe carriage.

As a convenient addition to the present apparatus additional switchmeans may be added adjacent the rotatable ratchet wheel plate 55 foractuation thereby for illumination of a visual display indicating firstand second balls thrown.

While I have shown a particular form of embodiment of my invention, I amaware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves toothers skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

1. A bowling machine apparatus comprising in com,- bination,

' a main frame including an upper framework,

a carriage vertically positionable along said frame for with a bearingcarried by said wheel for vertical articulated movement upon rotation ofthe latter,

a connecting bar coupling said arm to said carriage,

a first limit switch disposed adjacent said wheel for interrupting acircuit to said motor to stop said carriage,

means on said wheel to acutate said limit switch upon one revolution ofsaid lift wheel,

a tiltable ball return guide located adjacent to the bowling alleysurface,

a ball return wheel having switch actuating pin means carried thereby,said ball return wheel being rotatably. supported on a base carried bysaid main frame and in driven engagement with a ball return motor,

a ball return lift arm swingably mounted at one of its ends on saidframework and in sliding engagement .with a bearing carried by saidreturn wheel for vertical articulated movement upon rotation of thelatter,

means interconnecting said lift arm to said ball return guide, to raiseone end of the latter for discharge of the ball,

start switch means actuated by a thrown ball for closing an electricalcircuit to said ball return motor,

a second limit switch disposed adjacent said ball return .wheel actuatedby said pin means carried thereby for interrupting the last mentionedcircuit to said ball return motor to stop said ball return Wheel,

a carriage motor start switch carried by said main frame,

rotatable means journalled on said base for intermittent engagement withand advancement by said pin means carried by said ball return wheel andincluding means for contacting said carriage motor start switch onlyupon alternate intermittent advancements of said rotatable means tothereby close an electrical circuit to said carriage motor upon everyother revolution of said ball return wheel to thereby set the bowlingpins after every second ball thrown,

means interposable between said second limit switch and said pin meanscarried by said ball return wheel to prevent actuation of said switch,

sliding means carried by the main frame and releasable upon the entiredislodgement of all bowling pins for actuating said interposable meansto allow said ball return wheel to rotate twice consecutively toaccomplish closing of said carriage motor start switch causing aresetting of the bowling pins after the throwing of a strike ball.

2. The bowling apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein switch means areprovided operable remotelyby a game participant and are capable ofinitiating operation of both said carriage lift and said ball returnmotors.

3. The bowling apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said meansinterposable comprises the armature of a solenoid, said solenoid beingenergized through switch means contactable by said sliding means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,263,875 4/ 1918 Fekete 273441,494,285 5/ 1924 Regnier 27344 1,911,436 5/1930 Cone 273-43 2,264,43212/ 1941 Breitenstein 27344 2,584,596 2/l952 La Ferriere 273-442,928,676 3/ 1960 Sunday 27344 3,090,619 5/1963 Plant 273-44 FOREIGNPATENTS 282,079 2/ 1915 Germany.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner M. R. PAGE, Assistant Examiner US.Cl. X.R. 273-49

